I presented this talk at the Dementias 2017 conference which was held in the Royal College of General Practitioners in London on 9th and 10th February 2017.
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A doctor's journey from war-torn Baghdad to Norfolk
1. Dr Yasir Hameed (MRCPsych, PgCert Clin Edu, FHEA)
Specialist Registrar
Old Age & General Adult Psychiatry
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
2. My experience as a refugee doctor
Brain Drain
Older refugees and immigrants
3. I was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1978
Father was away serving as an army officer most of my
childhood.
Witnessed the Iraq Iranian war (1980-1988), first Gulf
war (1991), economic sanctions (1990-2003) and the
second Gulf war (2003) and its aftermath (until 2005).
Grieved for many relatives and friends (cousin 2004,
father 2005, older brother 2006) and many others.
4. I was working as a junior doctor in Al Wasiti Hospital in
Baghdad.
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6. September 2005: My father was taken from our home
in Baghdad by masked militia men. We never saw him
since.
August 2009: My brother lost his right eye following a
terrorist attack on his workplace in Baghdad.
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19. Older people account for 10 per cent of refugees with
specific needs
77 per cent of older refugees surveyed have specific
needs (chronic illness, impairment and disability).
Older refugees are twice as likely as the general
refugee population to report signs of psychological
distress (65 per cent of older refugees present signs of
psychological distress).
20. There is no official source of data on the prevalence of
impairments and chronic illness amongst refugees and
asylum seekers in Britain.
Estimates range from 3 per cent to 10 per cent of the
total population of refugees and asylum seekers.
21. Research found that even those elderly migrants
who have acquired English language skills tend to
lose the language as they grow older and they
revert back to their first language particularly
those patients who develop dementia.
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26. The journey continues..
Refugee doctors will continue to be part of the NHS.
They should be supported by all relevant organisations.
Older refugees and access to health care remains a
challenge. A culturally informed approach with use of
local community support is vital.